The Child
10 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
Peter frowned at the card in his hand. It showed a little girl, clutching a flower to her chest. The child represented new beginnings. Was that what the cards were telling him?
He looked up at the sound of childish laughter. Father Aeolas was walking down the boardwalk in front of the saloon. A small boy, not more than two or three years old, was bounding along beside him.
“We goin’ a church?” the little boy chirped, looking up at the preacher.
“Yes, Ryan,” Father Aeolas said, catching his hand and peering into the saloon. “Master Calloway,” he called, peering towards the bar.
“Yes, Father?” Sean said, blinking. “What is it?”
He gave Sean a tight smile. “I just wanted to let you know: I’m starting a child care program at the church,” he said. “If you should have need, it’s free of charge.”
“Thank you, Father,” Sean said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nodding, Father Aeolas turned away and then continued down the boardwalk, now holding firmly to little Ryan’s hand.
Past Regrets
09 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
Sean nodded. “Miss Montgomery will want her in school too,” he murmured.
A faint smile touched Peter’s lips and he nodded. “Yes,” he said, “I expect she will at that.” He couldn’t exactly say that he thought it was such a bad idea. He, at least, had lived among humans for a year. Ruby had only just left the other world.
“Is she going to be all right with that?” Sean asked, giving Peter a sidelong glance.
Peter shook his head and then shrugged. It hardly mattered. Whether she wanted to go to school or not, she could hardly argue that she shouldn’t when her older brother was. “She has even more to learn than I have,” he murmured.
Revealing Incidents
08 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
“How long has it been since you left the Otherworld?” I asked, shaking my head. Had he misunderstood or was he being deliberately obtuse.
“It’s been… nearly a year,” he said, his voice soft. He shook his head. “My mother… agreed to stay with them, if they let me go.”
“Is that what you meant, when you said you were still their prisoner?” I asked. “Because they still have your mother?”
He shook his head, but he didn’t elaborate.
Desperate Pursuit
07 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
He glared at the campfire and it flared to life. It was the first time I’d ever seen him use magic. Until then, I’d assumed he was the same sort of mage as me. However, he’d lit the fire with a mere look, something that simply wasn’t possible for either a caster or a crafter.
He noticed me staring at the raging campfire and smirked. “I speak from experience, Mister Calloway,” he said. His tone was bitter and I could tell it was something he didn’t like talking about. “My mother… was taken by fae as a girl. They made her a slave and… one of them got her pregnant, she never knew which one.”
For a moment, I just stared at him. People had accused me of having fae blood, because of my blue eyes, but Peter had dark hair and brown eyes. To all appearances, he was as human as anyone else in South Forks was. “But…” I started.
“They were dark fae.” He stood, then, and brushed off his hands.
Houston, We Have a Problem
06 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Mini-story, National Museum
The trip was going well, considering the storm that raged outside. Then, there was a bang and Peter looked over at Alaric and then back at Robin. “What was that?” he said.
Shaking her head, Robin stood and moved to the door of their cabin. She was just reaching for the handle, when the door opened. The young captain looked up at her and then looked over at Alaric.
“I regret, my lord,” he said, “to tell you that we have been struck by lightning. We need to evacuate the ship.”
Alaric stood and nodded. “Very well,” he said. He snatched his cloak off of a hook near the door and then, he – along with Peter and Robin – joined the other passengers as they moved towards the emergency exits.
The evacuation was going smoothly, until they reached the last pod that had been set aside for the passengers to use. The crewman looked at the earl and his companions and the young man that remained. He grimaced. More
Visions…
05 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
I saw Miss Montgomery waving goodbye to the children as they headed off down the road that lead away from the school. Then, she turned away and headed back into the school house.
As she stepped up to erase what was written on the blackboard, she paused and whirled around. Her eyes widened as a tall, blond-haired man strode towards her.
I recognized him as the fae that had played Peter at Fortune the night before. As helpless as I always was during a vision, I could do nothing as he wrapped his arms around her. She screamed once, and then, he was striding back out of the room, with her slung over one shoulder.
I woke from the vision with my heart pounding in my chest. “Are you all right?” my brother said. I looked up to find him standing over me.
I shook my head and then sighed. “Miss Montgomery’s been kidnapped by a fae,” I said.
Options…
04 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
I glanced over at Miss Montgomery. “Have you decided to let Peter skip attending school, then?”
“Against my better judgement,” she said. Looking at Peter, she added, “Of course, it’s contingent on…” she trailed off when he held a sheaf of papers out to her.
“Four pages, as requested, on the topic you chose,” Peter said, his voice soft. “If it meets with your approval, I don’t have to attend school. That was what we agreed?”
“It was,” Miss Montgomery said. She took the papers and then nodded at Peter, Josiah and myself before she turned and left the room.
Notions and Ideas
03 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
The real adventure begins…
**
He looked up and opened his mouth to speak, then stopped as the wind carried a soft melody into the barroom.
The stranger’s eyes lit up, as if the melody were a spell of some kind. He turned and started towards the door. Suddenly, Peter was in front of him. “You were just leaving,” he said, his voice taking on the strange, harsh edge once again. “I suggest you do so.”
The stranger smiled and said, “What if I chose to make this town my home?” There was a hint of challenge in his tone.
Peter’s hands clenched into fists and he whispered something that I couldn’t hear. The stranger laughed, bowed and left without another word.
I stepped over to Peter. “Are you all right?” I asked. I looked after the stranger and said, “What was that about? He was a fae, but no one seemed the least bit bothered by him. How can that be?”
“He was casting a glamour,” Peter said. He swayed and grabbed my arm to steady himself. Sighing, he said, “I need a drink.”
“Your uncle went to get more,” I said, guiding him to a chair. As he settled into the chair, I said, “What is that stuff anyway? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Full of questions tonight, aren’t you?” Peter said. He smiled wanly and looked out into the night. “I’ve got one too: Just what the hell is that woman thinking? Singing like that, so close to the equinox – when the fae are at their strongest and on the move. Does she want one to spirit her away?”
Learning the truth
02 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
Sean finally learns exactly what Peter is…
**
As the last patron stumbled out and headed for home, I began setting the chairs on top of the tables. I’d sweep and mop the next day, when I came in to work. I frowned as Peter sat at the bar, sipping the strange burgundy beverage that was his only drink.
I felt the vision coming, but I also knew it wasn’t the sort I had most often. This sort generally showed me when people were hiding something. I gasped softly as Peter shifted before my eyes. One moment, he looked like anyone else, only a bit dark. The next, he had a sort of purplish cast to his skin.
He turned towards me and his eyes flashed. He cursed softly and ducked his head. “You would be a time elemental,” he hissed. Then, he fled the room.
Tying bits together…
01 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crossover, Excerpt, National Museum
“Hello?” he said, as he picked up on the fourth ring.
I sighed. He sounded as if I’d woken him. However, we both knew better than that. “Master Kasper, it’s Sean.”
“Hello, Sean,” he said, dropping the pretense of being sleepy. “How are things with you and Winnie going? Any idea when you’ll be able to return to work?”
“Never,” I said. I took a steadying breath and shook my head, even though he couldn’t see the gesture. “Master Kasper, I… I need to go home. Do you understand?”
“You’ll be going back to South Forks,” he said, his voice soft. Somehow, I think he knew that would be my path all along. “I’ll miss you, of course, but… you have to do what’s best for you – and for Winnie.”
“Thank you, Master Kasper,” I said, my own voice faint. “I… just feel like I need to start over. There are too many memories here.”
“If you ever need me, Sean,” Master Kasper said, “all you have to do is call on me.”
“I know,” I said. Then, we said our goodbyes. I didn’t know, as I hung up the telephone, if I’d ever see Kasper Waverley or anyone else at the National Museum again. However, the future is one of those things that, unlike the past, I seldom see. I think, perhaps, it’s better that way.
